


Stained Glass I: Shattered

by BradyGirl_12



Series: Stained Glass [1]
Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Wonder Woman (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Canon Het Relationship, Drama, Established Relationship, F/M, Gang Rape, Het, Het and Slash, Hurt/Comfort, Justice League of America - Freeform, M/M, Male Slash, Non-Consensual Violence, Prisoner of War, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Series, Sexual Violence, Slash, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-04
Updated: 2013-12-06
Packaged: 2018-01-03 12:20:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1070403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BradyGirl_12/pseuds/BradyGirl_12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Diana and Steve’s love has always been strong, and they have always had each other’s back.  Now they need that strength and teamwork when they are captured during a war on an alien planet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sun's Gold

**Author's Note:**

> Original LJ Date Of Completion: January 24, 2008-January 27, 2008  
> Original LJ Date Of Posting: January 28, 2008-February 29, 2008  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.  
> Original LJ Word Count: 2665 + 1520 + 1208 + 1550 + 810 + 1295 + 1439 + 1467 + 1138 + 1850 (Total: 14,496)  
> Feedback welcome and appreciated.  
> Author’s Notes: References to events in [”Until The Yellow Sun Blesses You Again…”](http://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/152673.html). For instance, I decided to use the aliens from [”Until The Yellow Sun Blesses You Again…"](http://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/152673.html). Why waste good bad guys and their vicious winged pets? ;)  
> In an aside, I’m glad that we were taught Roman numerals in grade school, otherwise how could we know which Super Bowl it is? ;)  
> Further Notes [here.](http://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/160046.html)  
> All chapters can be found [here.](http://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/31948.html)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve struggles to protect a drugged and powerless Wonder Woman after they are captured on the battlefield.

  
_Sun’s gold,_  
 _Shines brightly,_  
 _‘Til the clouds_  
 _Drift lightly,_  
 _Blotting out_  
 _The sun._

_Shadows cross_  
 _The bloody land,_  
 _Turning soil_  
 _To blowing sand._

_Blood and tears,_  
 _Screams and fears,_  
 _Shadowed sun._  


  


**Old Toronian Poem  
 **330 B.C.E.****

Steve strained against the strong hands that held his arms. Fear rose up in his throat like bile, his legs trembling with more strain as they were held, too. The smoke of the alien battlefield nearly choked him with its acrid sting.

His Angel lay sprawled unconscious, completely naked except for her tiara, her arms up above her head…bracelets chained together.

By men.

A rough voice slithered into his ear, “She has come down far, hasn’t she, Yellow Hair? The Great Amazon Warrior, kicking male butt and thinking she is above us. No matter what species, our gender will always be superior to theirs.”

Steve remained silent, knowing it would do no good to rebut that statement. These aliens, the G’darrans, were a violent warrior people who scorned anything even remotely resembling compassion or gentleness. Wonder Woman had fought these people months ago with the JLA, and now she and Steve had ended up here on another world they were invading, practically kidnapped by the race currently under siege. 

_“We need you, Wonder Woman. You are one of the galaxy’s greatest Warriors. And your mate is essential to your well-being and is a Warrior himself, so we took you both by our teleporter and brought you here to aid us.”_

Despite her fury at the kidnapping, his Angel had agreed to help, and Steve had agreed with her. There was no way in hell he was going to let her take on this task without him. They stood by each other, and he had her back, always.

So they had fought by the side of the Toronians, a race dedicated to peace and badly in need of those skilled in the arts of war. Their teleporter had only contained enough energy to bring two people, otherwise they would have kidnapped the whole JLA, and Steve hoped that Wonder Woman’s signal had alerted her colleagues to their plight before her communicator had been confiscated.

In the meantime, there had been war, and war was their business, after all, and they had fought long and hard, starting to beat back the wave of invaders.

Then they had been overwhelmed by fresh troops let loose from reserve, and now his Angel was down, bruises darkening her fair skin, and his own aching body in the clutches of G’darran Warriors.

And they were the lucky ones. Their Toronian companions had all been killed.

Or maybe the Toronians had been the lucky ones.

The G’darrans had stripped them both as was their custom with vanquished enemies, and they had chained Wonder Woman’s wrists together. His heart had dropped because he knew that when she was chained by males, she lost her strength.

Wary of her strength despite their avowals of superiority and not aware of Aphrodite’s Law, the G’darrans had drugged his Angel and Steve had tried to protect her…

& & & & & &

_Shock nearly numbed Steve’s mind. They were prisoners, and his Angel was at his feet, drugged and chained. Goran, the G’darrans’ leader, stalked up to his prisoners with a grim smile. He placed a collar around Steve’s neck, ignoring the golden Medal of Athena that now disappeared beneath the golden collar, then placed a similar collar on Wonder Woman. He snapped manacles on Steve, then he tugged on the chain attached to Steve’s collar._

_“Pick up your woman,” he growled._

_Steve obeyed, holding his Angel as a cool breeze blew, shivering slightly._

_Goran’s pale eyes were unreadable. He reached out a hand and lightly touched Steve’s hair._

_“This sun color,” he rumbled. “Is it natural?”_

_Steve tried to retain as much dignity as he could while collared, chained, and naked in front of the G’darran Warrior, who wore shining breastplates and other armor, a blaster tucked in his belt, a sword at the other side._

_“It is.”_

_Goran said nothing further, then mounted his horse-like creature and gestured to an aide to take the length of chain. Steve grimly realized he was going to be forced to walk barefoot over the rough roads while carrying his Angel._

_He straightened his shoulders, getting a firmer grip on Wonder Woman, missing the look that Goran gave him._

_He started walking as the G’darran aide tugged the chain._

& & & & & &

_Laughter rolled around him as he stumbled, but he held on to Wonder Woman. He would **not** drop her despite his exhaustion, thirst, and hunger. His feet were cut and bleeding, his vision blurring as the sun’s rays beat down on his fair skin. _

_**Great. I’ll probably get sunburn on top of everything else.** _

_He almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Worriedly he looked down at Diana, who was still insensate. The drug she had been given was powerful. He missed her companionship._

_He nearly cried out as he tripped after a hard tug on his chain, falling to his knees in the road. Stones cut his flesh and he gritted his teeth, not making a sound._

_“Yellow Hair!” laughed Galt, leader of the guards, as he rode up. “Can’t you handle carrying your woman? Or has the Amazon emasculated you completely?”_

_He ignored the taunts, struggling to rise, joints protesting as he stood, arms aching and throat dry. He was grateful that the road was not too dry, saving him from a mouthful of dust._

_They had been marching for hours, and he was worried that he was going to give out soon without rest. Goran rode back and stared at him. The sun was beginning to set, burnishing Steve’s hair to molten gold._

_“Set up camp!” Goran barked, riding back to the head of the column._

_The ranks broke and camp was set up very quickly, Steve forced to sit at the edge of the clearing while his chain was tethered to a stake driven into the ground. Goran walked over to him, drinking from a canteen. Steve licked his lips, ravaged by thirst._

_“So, you are a Warrior back on Earth?”_

_“I am.”_

_“And the Amazon chose a man to mate with? I thought Amazons despised men.”_

_“Some do, and with good reason.” He remembered the Amazons’ history._

_Goran looked angry for a moment, then asked, “Why are you so loyal to this female?”_

_“I doubt you’d understand.”_

_Goran laughed. “You’re right, I would not. No female is worth such devotion as you show, carrying her body while your feet bleed.”_

_Steve grimaced. His feet were burning, just like his muscles._

_Goran took another canteen from his belt and tossed it to Steve, then turned and walked away._

_For a second, Steve’s surprise kept him motionless, then he snatched up the canteen and tried to get water into his Angel before he drank._

& & & & & &

Galt’s eyes were pale gray, glinting with malice. Steve kept his eyes away from Wonder Woman, staring at the G’darran. The alien easily outweighed him by at least forty pounds and stood half-a-foot taller. Galt flexed his gloved hand, his other hand resting on his sword hilt.

“This JLA that the Amazon is part of. Why do the men in that League welcome women into their army? War is for men. Women are its spoils.”

Steve kept a check on his temper. “Wonder Woman and the other women in the League have proven worthy. The men in the Justice League welcome their skills.”

Galt laughed, a nasty sound. “I am sure they welcome their…skills…in all ways.”

Steve wanted to spit in his face.

& & & & & &

_Another day of endless marching. Steve whispered, “It’s not overly hot, Angel. The terrain is rough but there are forests in the distance, and hills. I know you love the greenery, just as I do. I wish we could camp by a stream and have fresh water.” He wasn’t sure if she could hear him but he needed to talk to her. He had tried breaking her chains but they were iron-strong. He grimaced as yet another stone cut into his foot. At this rate he was going to be crippled. Wearily, he kept on walking._

__

& & & & & &

_The camp was filled with jeering, foul-mouthed Warriors. Goran was in strategy session with his officers inside his tent, leaving the rest to revel in their victory. The translators implanted in their skin had allowed Diana and Steve to understand the guttural language, and Steve wished he couldn’t understand them. Their descriptions of what they did to prisoners did not exactly make him feel comforted._

_He gently held his Angel, her head lolling on his shoulder. He was thankful that they had not drugged him as well as Wonder Woman. At least he could take care of her to some degree._

_He shifted uncomfortably against the boulder his back rested against. Both naked, they were extremely vulnerable, especially with Diana’s powers gone. He rubbed his neck where the collar was secured, wishing he could touch his Medal._

_**Athena, watch over your Princess. I could use some help, too!** _

_Diana moaned softly, still trapped in her drugged state._

_“Shh,” he said quietly, brushing her hair from her face. “It’s all right, Angel. I’m here.”_

_It wasn’t all right, but he didn’t want her panicking in her drugged state. His hold on her tightened a little more as a Warrior approached._

_This burly specimen was disgruntled at his duty of caring for the prisoners. He slammed down a clay pot of water and ambled off._

_The G’darrans were thickset, shaggy hair from head-to-toe, huge teeth giving their grins a particularly frightening expression. Skin color ranged from pale yellow to gray to light-blue, and their eyes were all pale._

_The hair on their heads were dark, no matter what the skin color, and one of the Warriors aside from Goran had touched Steve’s hair, fascinated by the yellow color._

_Steve shivered at the memory. He disliked the thought of being without weapons, clothing, and having his hair touched by a violent soldier whose leer made his stomach flip._

_**At least he wasn’t touching Diana.** _

_He took the bowl and brought it to his Angel’s lips. “Here, love, drink,” he coaxed, and he got some water into her. When he was satisfied with the amount, he drank some, his lips nearly cracked with thirst._

_He set the bowl down, hoping that they would get some food to go with it. Finally the grumpy caretaker came with another bowl and set it down and left._

_Steve wrinkled his nose at the sight of the food, a lumpy, starchy mess that was essentially tasteless, but at least it was food. He coaxed again, but could only get a few mouthfuls into Diana, and ate as much as he dared, still wary of what the alien food could do to their systems. He put a little more water past Diana’s lips, then drank himself._

_The G’darrans feasted around the campfire, gnawing on freshly-killed meat and the starchy paste. The firelight danced off their horned helmets, illuminating bearded faces and ugly expressions as they boasted of their conquests._

_Nearby the winged **m’kattras** snorted and pawed at the ground, tethered in a pen. Their handlers fed and watered them, baleful eyes causing Steve to turn away. Vicious creatures, they could rip a being to shreds in seconds._

_They had done so to Superman, according to Wonder Woman. The Man of Steel had only been at half-strength on a world with an orange sun, and he had suffered badly._

_Steve just hoped that they kept the creatures away from him and his Angel._

_He touched the cold metal of his manacles. They resembled his Angel’s Bracelets of Submission except they were golden, not iron-colored. She wore this weight on her wrists every day, and if they were removed, trouble._

_Raucous laughter accompanied bottles of alcohol, and Steve fervently wished that he and Diana could simply disappear. Drunken soldiers basking in victory usually meant trouble for their prisoners._

_He kept a sharp eye on them, also scanning the camp. It would be difficult to escape with Wonder Woman in his condition, and he was not leaving her behind, but he had to keep trying, or his soul would shrivel up and blow away._

_He tried not to think of their fates: experiments? Torture? Slavery?_

_Whatever their future, it was not going to be a good one, unless they managed to escape or the JLA rescued them._

_Or the damned Toronians came through._

_He tensed as a group of Warriors ambled over, the ringleader carrying a heavy stick._

_“She ain’t much fun, is she, Yellow Hair?” he hissed. He raised his stick. “Let’s see how that fair skin of ‘ers bruises, eh?”_

_Drunken laughter echoed around the camp and the G’darran brought the stick down toward Wonder Woman. Steve twisted his body to cover Diana at the last second, gasping in pain as it cracked against his back, thankfully not on his spine. He tensed for the next blow, grunting as it smacked against his shoulderblade, keeping his Angel tight against his body._

_“Stop!”_

_The roar was Goran’s voice. Steve turned around but still kept Diana away from his tormentors._

_Goran strode forward, grabbed the stick, and flung it away. “Sleep off your drunkenness and be ready to move at dawn tomorrow!” The Warriors slunk away and Goran glanced at Steve, turning and marching back to his tent._

_Steve allowed himself to tremble with relief, kissing his Angel’s dark hair and trying to ignore the throbbing in his back. She mumbled and he tightened his hold._

_**Just another addition to the aches and pains.** _

_He didn’t see Galt grinning from the shadows._

_Finally the camp settled down for the night, and Steve stretched out on the hard ground, gently bringing Wonder Woman down with him, curling up over her as he tried to keep her as warm as possible as the cold night air descended, his own body shivering…_

__

& & & & & &

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Bet you enjoy her every night, don’t you?”

Steve wanted to scream out his fury but kept his expression as calm as he could. If they knew they could goad him, it was all over.

_Aphrodite, please, protect your Princess. Don’t let any harm come to her!_

He sent up a quick prayer to the Virgin Mary as well, desperation fueling him as he hoped they would tire of the taunting and leave him and Wonder Woman alone.

“Why aren’t you in the new battle?” he ground out, the sounds of explosions growing louder. His Medal was cold against his throat under the collar.

“We’re winning, Yellow Hair.” Galt grinned with a wide-toothed sneer. “The Toronians are peace-loving fools.” Steve gritted his teeth as a meaty hand ran down his chest. “So smooth. Don’t the males of your species have hair besides the top of your head or around your balls?”

Steve glared at him. “Some do.” 

The G’darran laughed and then looked at Wonder Woman. “Both smooth, both fair-skinned.” He grabbed a handful of Steve’s hair. “What about this color? Is this common among your people?”

“No,” Steve answered, trying to keep the alien’s attention away from his Beloved. “Dark hair is more common.”

The G’darran reached out a boot and nudged Wonder Woman’s thigh. Steve instinctively tried to move and the Warrior laughed. His face was suddenly right up against Steve’s as he breathed, “How does it feel to be the mate of a female stronger than you, _m’selia?_ Do you play the part of a woman in her bed?” 

Steve spat out, “Go to hell!”

The G’darran laughed again. “Hell is what you and your woman are fated for, Human.”

The Warrior released Steve’s head and turned toward Wonder Woman…


	2. Spoils Of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The G’darran soldiers are ready to enjoy their spoils of war.

  
_War’s pain,_  
 _Is wild_  
 _And bloody._

_War’s pain,_  
 _Howls_  
 _Against the wind._  


**Ambrose Wood**  
 **“Terrible Swift Sword:**  
  
 **Poetry Of The Civil War”**  
 **1863 C.E.**

_Steve hastily finished the last of the water as the Warriors broke camp. He had given Diana as much of the water as he could get past her numbed lips, and now he stiffly rose to his feet, gathering his Beloved into his arms._

_The leader of the squad, Goran, rode up on his horse-like creature and grabbed the length of chain connected to Steve’s collar. Steve lifted his chin and stared defiantly at him, Diana safe in his arms._

_Goran stared for a moment, then snapped out a command. A horse (Steve decided that he would call them horses until he heard a different word for them) was brought, and Goran said, “Get on the horse, Human.”_

_Steve obeyed as quickly as he could, wincing as he settled into the saddle. This was going to hurt, but at least he wouldn’t collapse. He settled his Angel as comfortably as possible in front of him, and they were off at a slow trot._

_As they rode, Diana mumbled, “Steve…Beloved…careful…look out…”_

_“Hush, Angel,” he whispered in her ear. “I promise, I’ll get us out of this.”_

_Goddess knew how the hell he was going to do that, but he was watching the camp routine and hoping for a break. If he could just steal away in the middle of the night with Wonder Woman…it was a slim hope, but he needed one._

_He kissed his Beloved’s shoulder as they rode._

& & & & & &

“You gonna do her, Galt?”

The laughing G’darran amused Galt, who was standing over Diana. He nudged her legs apart and planted his boot between her thighs, then reached down and cupped her right breast.

Steve struggled, the sickness in his stomach rising. He knew that his Angel could take care of herself better than anyone on the battlefield, but in the back of his mind he had always feared this moment.

The fate of women in war.

Galt spread her legs wider…

& & & & & &

_Goran strode up to Steve and Diana as the camp was set up. “My tent.”_

_Steve stood up with Diana in his arms._

_“Leave the woman.”_

_Steve shook his head. Goran’s eyes narrowed, then he said curtly, “Come.”_

_Steve followed him to his tent, entering into a world of silk pillows, a low table, and oil lamps. Goran sat on a pillow and gestured for Steve to do the same. He threw two loose robes at him._

_First Steve laid Wonder Woman out on a set of pillows, covering her with the shimmering blue cloth, then sat down next to her as he shrugged on his own robe, tying the sash. His hair was hanging in his eyes and he brushed it back, noticing Goran watching him._

_“My hair color fascinates you.”_

_Goran smiled slightly. “I have seen Yellow Hairs before in my travels, but not quite so bright like the sun.”_

_Steve studied the Warrior leader. Stocky like the rest of his men, his beard was well-kept, his long hair tied back with a red silk ribbon. He was no longer wearing his armor, just a simple red tunic. Legs crossed, he rested his hands on his knees, Warrior bands similar to Wonder Woman’s on his wrists._

_“I request that you let us go.”_

_A thick eyebrow arched. “I cannot do that.”_

_“Why not?”_

_“You are a prisoner-of-war. Prisoners-of-war must be processed.”_

_Steve hoped the fluttering in his stomach was not reflected in his face. “And that process is…?”_

_Goran shrugged. “Once we return home, you and your woman will be placed on the block.” He nodded curtly at the servant who had just entered and placed steaming plates of food on the table. “Perhaps I can see that you will be auctioned off together.”_

_Steve kept his hands in a clasp to still their trembling. He hadn’t guessed wrong, then._

_“Can’t you just let us go?” Frustration edged his voice. “We weren’t exactly volunteers in this war!”_

_Goran frowned. “How so?”_

_“The Toronians kidnapped us!”_

_Goran snorted. “Typical. But you could have refused.”_

_“Wonder Woman wanted to help.”_

_“And you?”_

_Steve lifted his chin. “I am her partner. I watch her back.”_

_Goran shook his head in amusement. “Terrans are good Warriors, and these Amazons even more so, but you males have to assert your natural superiority. Women are useful tools for procreation, nothing more.”_

_“I disagree.”_

_Goran waved a hand at the food. “Eat.”_

_Steve first fed Diana, who roused just enough to help him, her eyes glassy. He murmured soothingly to her, finally laying her back down on the pillows._

_“You act as her servant,” said Goran as he ate._

_Steve used the crude utensils by the empty plate in front of him and dished out meat and vegetables, trying hard not to wolf them down. He drank an amber-colored liquid, but it didn’t taste alcoholic. It was sweet, a little like ginger ale._

_“I am her partner.”_

_“Are you wedded?”_

_Steve shook his head._

_“The Amazons don’t approve?”_

_“We don’t need a piece of paper to love each other.”_

_Which was true, though he would have liked to have been married. He thought of her dressed in a mix of Amazon and bridal regalia and the sun streaming in through stained-glass windows and felt happy, but Wonder Woman had turned down his proposal and he had decided that loving an Amazon meant different kinds of compromises._

_The relationship they had now suited them both and he was more than grateful._

_The taste of the food was good, and Goran said, “This Justice League of America. They fought our brother troops on Molgar.”_

_Steve nodded. “Though Wonder Woman told me they looked far different from you.”_

_“They are. They come from Gantar in the North. We are from Galvar in the South. Like you Humans, we have different races.”_

_Steve nodded. That made sense._

_“They are long and thin, and rely more on their technology. We are broad and strong, and while we use blasters, we still use our ceremonial swords.” Goran drank. “Are there many sun-bright ones such as you?”_

_“Not as many as those who have dark hair like you.”_

_“Tell me about Earth.”_

_Steve and Goran talked for several hours, then Goran said, “Enough. Dawn comes soon enough.” He held out his hand. “Your **kitras.”**_

_Steve realized he meant the robes. Sighing, he stripped his off, keenly aware of the leader’s eyes on him, and removed Diana’s. He handed them to Goran, who said, “Mayhaps I can see about your…situation…when we return home.” Then he barked and a guard came into the tent to escort Steve and Diana back._

_For the first time in days, Steve felt a spark of hope._

__

& & & & & &

_For the next two nights, Steve carried Diana to Goran’s tent and they talked. On the morning after the third night, camp broke in a frenzy._

_Battle._

_Goran and the Warriors rode off to battle._

_Behind the lines, Galt was in charge._

_Word came as the first night’s twilight fell._

_Goran had been severely wounded._

& & & & & &

His captors were so interested in what Galt was doing to Diana that they loosened their hold. He took his chance and pushed his foot back into the stomach of one guard and twisted out of the grip of the others, military training taking over and he grabbed Galt, using a jujitsu move to push the bigger man away from Wonder Woman.

His fingers closed around the man’s blaster, pulling it away from his belt…

Steve groaned as he was hit on the back of the head from behind, Galt shoving him with such force that he fell to the ground hard.

“Puny Human! Did you think you could save your sweet piece?” Contempt dripped from Galt’s voice. “She was not in danger.” His boot touched Diana’s thigh, then shoved hard. “I have no use for the cunt.” She rolled down the incline and out of sight as Steve tried to focus his vision, scrambling up and receiving a punch in the kidneys that tore a groan from him. Galt strode to him and grabbed his hair again, jerking his head up. “Puny Human. Women are inferior in every way. They provide younglings and are good for nothing else.” His mouth grinned wide, yellowing teeth sharp. His breath was pungent as he said, “You, beardless one, as smooth as a woman, but with men’s organs. And hair the color of the sun.” He shoved Steve back into his captors’ waiting arms. “It’s not your precious Amazon bitch we want to ravage.”

Steve’s blood ran cold as he was pushed down to the hard ground, his struggles useless, his mind flaring into panic as his legs were yanked apart and heavy weight pressed down on him as pain, white-hot and blazing, tore him in two and the first scream was ripped from his throat…


	3. Vengeance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonder Woman extracts a terrible vengeance.

  
_Amazon Warriors!_   
_Avenge thy mates!_   
_Do not let_   
_The despoilers_   
_And ravagers_   
_Tear the spirits_   
_From your Beloveds_   
_Without_   
_Vengeance._   


  


**Heralita,**   
**Queen Of The Amazons**   
**(One of Hippolyta’s Predecessors)**   
**660 B.C.E.**

_She drifted, hearing voices and then silence, but she would hear a beloved voice and feel safe and warm._

_Other times she felt anxious, knowing that there was danger._

_Diana felt love during all these times, and she dreamed of her golden-haired lover, heart-of-her-heart, beloved-of-her-body, and she sang softly as she drifted, unable to drag her eyes open, her body light as air one minute, heavy as cement the next._

_She drifted on the pond as a waterfall splashed surrounded by the brilliant colors of the Island, the blue skies overhead as she felt at peace. She reached out and Steve’s hand grasped hers, and she smiled at him as the sun lit his hair to lemon-gold…_

_…the scene shattering like glass in rainbow prisms as she heard screams, and she was alone._

_She fought to swim, up, up, up, the waterfall, where she heard the screams, wanted, **needed** , to help the tortured soul…_

& & & & & &

Diana fought the heaviness of her limbs as she heard mocking laughter drift down around her. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her body and a slight breeze brought voices…

_“…mmm, feels **so** good…”_

_“…your protector Goran is dying…”_

_“…cheer up, you’re giving **real** pleasure now…”_

_“…prettiest hair I ever saw…”_

Diana frowned. She tried to open her eyes, succeeding very slowly. She put her hands up to shield her eyes from the sun.

She saw the chain link between her bracelets and it all came flooding back.

She bolted upright, heart racing, looking around. Where was Steve? The last thing she remembered was the two of them being forced to strip in front of leering G’darrans and then she had been injected with some drug.

She saw that she was still naked and without her Amazon strength.

A cry of pain drifted down from above the ravine where she had regained consciousness. She nearly passed out with the realization that it was Steve’s voice!

In a fit of rage and frustration she slammed the chain down on a rock, gasping as a thick shard pierced her hand…and her chains.

She broke them apart, feeling her strength flood back, pulled off her collar, and her Warrior instincts took over. She climbed the ravine swiftly and surely.

When she topped the rise, she stood still in shock.

The G’darrans were laughing and pulling on their breeches, sated and strutting around the small clearing.

Steve was lying unconscious on the ground on his stomach, sprawled awkwardly, tossed away like a rag doll. Blood scored his back and spattered his thighs, along with…

Diana’s Warrior blood rose, a rage filling her as memories of her mother and sisters describing their despoilment at the hands of Heracles and his men misted red through her mind.

She let out a cry from the depths of her soul, the G’darrans turning in surprise, barely having time to grin before she struck.

All of her Amazon training and Warrior soul drove her as she smashed into the ravaging horde, her hand grabbing a sword off one G’darran’s belt and using it with consummate skill. Cries of rage and pain echoed up to the skies, skies tinged red in her sight, and she let her blood take over.

& & & & & &

When her bloodlust finally cooled, Diana tossed the sword away in disgust. She hurried over to her lover and said over and over, “Hera, Aphrodite, please let him be alive, Hera, Aphrodite, don’t take him from me. Athena, Athena…”

She reached out with a trembling hand and felt for a pulse. Nearly fainting with relief, she found one.

Her fingers touched the bruises on Steve’s cheek and around his eye and mouth, then her eyes traveled down his neck, shoulders, and back, covered in deep scratches and bites, and the blood on his buttocks and thighs…

She bit back a moan and ran to one of the soldiers, tearing off a piece of uniform cloth and running back to Steve. She had to stop the bleeding and pressure would do it.

Her eyes dimmed with tears as she applied pressure, the fingers of her free hand combing through golden locks. Steve was unconscious, but when he woke up…

She had to hold it together. She had to get Steve out of here and the two of them off this accursed planet and back home.

“Steve,” she said softly, repeating his name a few times, but he remained unconscious.

Finally the bleeding stopped, but Diana was worried sick about internal damage and infection. 

She had not been touched. It would have been easy to do while drugged, but she was certain that Steve had protected her, though against the far stronger G’darrans, it would have been difficult for him to succeed if they had decided to rape her. 

Instead, they had chosen to rape him.

The word ‘rape’ reverberated around her mind. The savagery of the attack shook her, and she stood, looking back at the unconscious G’darrans.

Diana strode toward them, picking up the previously-tossed sword. She relieved every one of their blasters and swords, throwing them far, far away, except for two blasters and two swords. She took two belts off them, and cut off lengths of uniform cloth for her and Steve to wear. Their boots were too big to wear. Hopefully she could find footwear soon. She had noticed the cuts on Steve’s feet. 

She spied a saddlebag on the ground. Inside were canteens, food, and a bolt of white silk that had been ‘liberated’ from a house close to the last battlefield. She stuffed the extra cloths into the saddlebag. The horses had taken off long ago.

She tossed the saddlebag to land beside Steve, then gripped her sword harder.

& & & & & &

Diana crouched beside Steve. She had used some of the uniform cloth to scrub off any blood from her body, wrapped her injured hand, and now wore the white silk cloth in a sarong-style, tied with one of the G’darran armored belts. She laid the bloody sword on the ground and picked up a canteen, quickly washing Steve’s body and then wrapping him from waist-to-knees in the soft white silk and snapping the belt around him. She removed his collar and threw it away with a savage motion, the Medal of Athena glinting in the sun around his neck.

Bitterness rose up in her. That Medal was a symbol of Athena’s protection in war. Where had it been when her Beloved had been savagely brutalized? She took a deep breath, trying to still her trembling.

Finally she stood and walked back to the unconscious G’darrans. They would be awakening soon.

She stabbed the sword into the ground and returned to Steve, attaching a blaster and new sword to her belt, slung the saddlebag over her chest and then gently lifted Steve into her arms.

She walked away from the gang of rapists.

When they awoke, they would discover they would not be able to rape again.


	4. Bright Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana is determined to get Steve to safety.

  
_“The human mind_   
_Is a wondrous thing._   
_It can live in shadows_   
_While appearing_   
_Bright and shiny._

_It can protect itself_   
_By wrapping_  
 _Its pain_   
_In soft cotton_  
 _Ringed by steel.”_  


  


**Dr. Annette Melfi**   
**“Secrets Of The Mind”**   
**1996 C.E.**

Diana’s senses were all on high alert: listening, watching, smelling smoke and the other smells of the battlefield. This was Toronian territory, but the population was most likely refugees by now as the G’darran army advanced. 

The weather was pleasant, spring-like as the breezes blew and the sun was warm but not hot. The ground was hard and mud-free, but she was hoping to find a stream. Dusky purple hills rose in the distance, and only a few scrub trees appeared now and then. 

She stumbled, dizziness assailing her again. When she had tried to speed up or even to test out her flying abilities, she had failed. She had some of her strength but she feared the drug’s side effects were showing up.

After her adrenaline rush.

Doggedly she pushed on. 

_A house!_

She hurried forward, then gently laid Steve under one of the straggly trees as she drew her blaster and cautiously entered the house.

_Empty._

The occupants had grabbed what they could and had taken off. She brought Steve in out of the sun and laid him on a couch. 

The food was still fresh so Diana took what she could fit into the saddlebag and a rucksack she found in a dresser. She filled their canteens with fresh water from a tap and searched the rooms. 

_Jackpot!_

She brought out the two pairs of boots, slipping on one pair and stashing the larger pair into the rucksack.

She knelt by the couch and smoothed Steve’s hair as she anxiously looked for signs of revival, but he was in a deep state of unconsciousness.

Perhaps he had a head injury?

She carefully felt around his head, slipping her fingers through silk. She found a large bump at the back of his head. 

Diana hoped that Steve hadn’t slipped into a coma.

She made another sweep of the bedrooms, taking two blankets and a fresh change of clothes for both of them.

“Come, love, let’s continue our journey.”

& & & & & &

As dusk began to fall Diana found an outcropping of rocks that would keep them concealed for the night. She set Steve down and was removing her saddlebag and rucksack when Steve began to move his head. She immediately turned her attention to him as his eyes fluttered open.

“A…Angel?”

Diana smiled. “Yes, it’s me.”

Steve was groggy for a second, then joy lit his eyes and he flung his arms around her. 

“You’re not drugged anymore!” 

“No, I’m not.” She hugged him.

When they broke apart he smoothed the hair back from her face. “So glad to have you back, Angel. I missed you!”

She laughed a little. “I wasn’t much companionship, eh?”

He grinned, then frowned as he looked around. “Where are we? We were in the G’darrans’ camp the last I remember.”

Diana kept her face neutral. “We escaped.”

The frown deepened. “Why can’t I remember?”

She touched the back of his head. “You have a head injury.”

“Oh!” He grasped her hand and kissed her fingers. “That explains it. I’ll probably get the memory back soon.”

_I hope not._

But Steve didn’t see the sorrow in her eyes. He was looking down at the silk he wore. 

“Wow, this is much better than what we had before…nothing!”

“Yes, much better.”

He frowned as he noticed her bandage. “What happened to your hand?”

“I cut it freeing myself from the chains.”

A spot of blood marred the cloth, and Steve looked worried. She squeezed his hand in reassurance. He pulled his hand away. 

“It’s getting dark. Are we settled in for the night?”

Diana nodded. “I have some food and water.”

“Great. My stomach’s rumbling.” Steve shifted on the ground and gasped.

“What is it?” Diana’s heart triphammered.

“I’m…sore.” He moved gingerly. “You’ve got boots!”

”I have a pair for you, too.” 

She touched his feet and he gently wiggled them out of her grasp. 

“Our captors weren’t too concerned about giving me proper footwear during the forced marches.” 

Diana handed Steve the boots and while he tried them on her mind was racing.

Sore? She was certain there was pain, and a lot of it. Diana had studied the Human mind and, considering her Amazon history, that of rape victims.

The Human, and Amazon, mind could deny with incredible force when it wanted to. Steve was undoubtedly feeling more than just soreness, but his mind was telling him that was all it was right now.

Diana didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared to death.

“A perfect fit!” Steve’s smile pierced Diana’s heart. “Angel, you okay?”

“Oh, yes. I’m…just a little dizzy.”

Immediately he gripped her shoulders. “You should lie down.”

“We should eat first.”

Steve nodded. “Let me take care of dinner, such as it is.”

Diana nearly cried at the grin he sported, and while he quickly pulled out food packets she shivered. 

This was her Steve, her gentle, considerate lover.

But not quite.

Steve touched his throat. “Oh, thank Athena. I still have my Medal.”

“Yes, thank Athena,” Diana said faintly. 

They ate a simple dinner and drank the water sparingly. Diana had memorized the map of the battlefields at the Toronian headquarters and knew they were very far away from civilization.

“Ow.” Steve touched his lip. “It’s split.” Diana couldn’t allow herself to speak. “Guess I’d better be careful eating.” 

When they finished, Diana said, “We’d better get some rest.” 

“Your powers are still dampened?”

She nodded, then winced at the sudden pain in her head. Great! A stress headache!

Steve shot her a sympathetic look. He pulled out the blankets and they settled down to sleep.

It was then that Diana noticed that Steve did not curl up around her.

She heard him get as comfortable as he could on the rocky ground. Her heart beat a little faster as she realized that he was leaving a space between them instead of wrapping his arms around her.

She blinked back tears as she tried to get some sleep.

& & & & & &

Diana awoke, swiftly sitting up. Steve was already in the same position, breathing heavily. She dearly wanted to touch him but refrained, asking, “Are you all right, Beloved?”

He was staring off into the distance, eyes glassy in the moonlight. “I, uh…yes, I think so.” He shivered. “I think I was having a bad dream. I…came awake so fast…I don’t remember.”

She heard the edge of panic in his voice and said soothingly, “It’s all right. We’ve been through a lot this past week.”

His breathing calmed and he nodded. “You’re right, of course.” He smiled a little at her. “Sorry to wake you.”

“It’s all right.”

They settled back down again, Diana brushing her arm against Steve’s chest and felt him stiffen. She quickly removed her arm and curled up, her back to him. He fell asleep in a few minutes, Diana mentally cursing savage barbarians.

& & & & & &

The next morning found them out on the road bright and early, Diana pleased at the chiton-like garments they were wearing today. The Toronians were humanoid in appearance, and their clothes fit rather well. Gold clasps at their shoulders and the gold belts accented the white silk of these fresh clothes. Their boots were of a soft calfskin-like material, Steve still wore the gold manacles/bracelets, and Diana could have imagined them on Paradise Island instead of on an alien planet at war.

Steve was placid, blond hair tumbling into his eyes but he made no move to brush it back. He kept up with her but winced every now and then. Diana threw worried glances his way when he wasn’t looking. He had insisted upon carrying the saddlebag while she carried the rucksack, and a blaster and sword were attached to his belt, too.

_Equal division of labor._

Diana ached to hold him in her arms but every time her hand or leg touched his, he backed away, not exactly flinching, but keeping a small distance.

It broke her heart.

& & & & & &

They crept quietly through the rocks, blasters out and soft boots making no sound. Diana nodded at Steve and she leaped up onto the biggest boulder while he covered her with his blaster.

She burst out laughing.

“What?”

She jumped down and said, “Just a fox.”

“A fox?”

Diana giggled. “Yes, but a noisy one.”

“Damn.” He smiled at her and leaned back against the rock. “Well, looks like we’re still out here all alone.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing, considering.”

Steve smiled wryly. “You may be right, Angel.” He sighed. “At least we have good weather. And eventually we’ll get to the city.”

Diana nodded. “We’re going to get home, Steve.”

He smiled. “I never doubted it once you were with me again.”

Diana started to reach out to touch sun-bright locks, then stopped as Steve reached down and picked up his rucksack. 

“Ready?”

She nodded, her eyes sad as she followed Steve back to the road.


	5. Shadowed Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calm before the storm.

  
_Storm clouds gather_   
_On a golden day._

_The sun is shadowed_   
_Mortals, pray._   


  


**Safia,**   
**Amazon Poet**   
**360 B.C.E.**

Steve drank from the canteen, grimacing at the brackish water and the growing headache behind his eyes. He had awakened with the pain this morning. 

The dreams disturbed him. He would wake, but they would slip away like will-o-the-wisps, leaving him with a vague sense of uneasiness and accelerated breathing.

And there was an ache in his lower back and legs that would flare up now and again. The material of his chiton rasped against his back, which felt strange. It bothered him that he couldn’t remember what had happened to make him hurt, and it bothered him that he couldn’t remember the escape from the camp.

He was happy to have Diana back from her drugged state but he wished he could remember when she had come out of it, too.

Well, there was no use worrying, was there? He and his Angel were making headway and would find a way home. Maybe the Justice League had heard the signal she had sent before her communicator had been taken away by the Toronians.

Wonder Woman was shooting worried glances his way when she thought he wasn’t looking. He figured she must be upset over his pace, which was slower than he would like at times.

He kept his eye on her, worried about her dizzy spells. 

The thought that he ordinarily would have either held her hand or put his arm around her to help with those spells didn’t occur to him.

& & & & & &

Later that morning, they stopped to rest. Steve sighed and took off his boots, grimacing slightly. His feet were red and callused. Diana reached out and said, “Let me help.” She began massaging his right foot, feeling the tension in his muscles, then started massaging his left foot. He smiled and said, “Thank you, Angel,” and quickly stood up.

Diana shaded her eyes as she looked up. The sun backlit his hair, shadowing his face. She missed the massages they would give each other, free and easy and loving and playful. She slowly rose and waited for him to put his boots back on.

They resumed walking.

& & & & & &

An hour later, Diana stopped and said, “Listen!”

Steve heard it, too. They grinned at each other and ran.

Water! A river of splashing, sparkling water. They slipped off their clothes and dove in.

Steve closed his eyes as the water washed over him. Strong strokes cleaved the water next to Diana, their pace the same. He wanted to get clean…wash off the dirt, the grime, the filth…

He paused and instead turned to Diana, smiling at her. She laughed and splashed him and he splashed back, and a full-fledged water fight started.

She swam close to him and lightly gripped his hips and his stomach knotted. 

He playfully swam away, his mouth dry. She followed but did not touch him again.

& & & & & &

Diana watched Steve float in the water. She prepared lunch on the riverbank, small game and some greens that tasted good. 

Ever since they had found the water, Steve swam as often as he could, whenever they took a break or set up camp for the night. She couldn’t blame him. Feeling clean was a wonderful luxury after days of no baths. 

And yet she was bothered.

He took a cloth in with him every time now instead of just the morning and night and scrubbed his body, lacking soap, but it made no difference. He would reluctantly leave the water, fair skin bright pink from the scrubbing.

“Steve!”

He rolled over at the sound of her voice and swam in, rising from the river.

She never failed to be astounded at his beauty.

“Thanks, Angel.” He sat down. “We’re making good time.”

Diana nodded. “We should reach the city of Tara in three or four days.”

“Tara.” Steve smiled. _“Gone With The Wind.”_

“Ah, yes. Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler.”

“One of the great romances of all time.”

“When we get back, we should watch that movie again.”

“We will.” 

Diana was glad that Steve sounded so confident. If their luck held out, they would reach the city and find a subspace radio and get word to the JLA.

Steve had put on half his chiton, his bare chest tanning in the sun. Diana could almost forget what had happened…except that she knew his back was still criss-crossed with ugly scratches and fading bite marks, and there were still faint bruises on his face and around his eye.

He always scrubbed his thighs the hardest.

A breeze blew, ruffling his hair as he ate the spit-roasted meat.

Calm before the storm.

Diana waited for the storm to hit.


	6. Jagged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Storm.

  
_Wash away_   
_Thy sins,_   
_Thy pain,_

_Let it rain._   


  


**Emily Adams Cutler**  
  
 **“Yellow Roses And Other Poems”**   
**1859 C.E.**

_Fetid breath blew on the back of his neck and he twisted, trying to throw off the weight that crushed him, a groan torn out of him as pain sliced through his body, a rough hand pulling his head back by the hair as another hand ran down his spine and then sharp teeth pierced his shoulder…_

_“I’m going to taste **all** of you, Yellow Hair,” whispered the mocking voice, and the weight moved, pain exploding in his lower body and stars pinwheeled behind his eyes…_

& & & & & &

He woke, choking, only vague images skittering around the edges of his mind as Diana touched his arm.

“Steve, what…?”

He quickly stood up. “It’s nothing, I need to go for a swim, please, go back to sleep…”

And he was in the water, cutting off his babbling and her concern, except the concern followed him as he swam away, deep into the moonlight dancing on the water, trying to calm his racing heart, compulsively clutching and unclutching his Medal.

His head pounded and he felt a burning inside him. His limbs were shaking and he felt hot, trying desperately to cool off, trying desperately not to remember the dream…

The skin on his back felt tight, like healing scars, and he felt nauseous. His legs ached as he swam still further out, feeling his Angel’s eyes on him, regretting how he was worrying her, wishing he could stop his jitters. 

He dove beneath the water, letting it all wash over him. He couldn’t stand not being clean, not staying clean, every time he left the water he felt as if he was carrying around a film of grime and dirt and he had to get _clean…_

He broke the surface, water and hair in his eyes, and he moved to push the hair out of his eyes.

_“Yellow Hair.”_

He froze, hand trembling, then dove again, coming up as his lungs burned. He still felt hot, his nerves a jangled mess, and he turned to see Diana standing on the shore, a Goddess in the moonlight.

He swam toward her. He couldn’t worry her anymore. 

He couldn’t add to her burden.

He came up out of the water, attempting to smile.

“Sorry, Angel.”

“It’s all right.” But her voice was thick with worry. 

“I…I’ve got the jangles tonight. I’m sorry.”

She smiled a little, then removed the short cloth she wore to sleep at night. “I’m a little jangly, too. Swim?”

His nerves calmed a little. “Sure.”

They swam like paired dolphins through the silver water, twisting and turning like synchronized swimmers. They had always been in sync.

Steve realized that they weren’t quite in sync anymore. 

Sadness washed over him.

& & & & & &

Steve’s eyes were very bright the next morning, and Diana was utterly charmed. Sapphire-blue eyes were always beautiful, but they seemed to glow like jewels this sunny morn.

They ate breakfast and packed up, Steve joking, “We’ll be in great shape when this is all over with all this walking, Angel.” He adjusted his Medal. 

Diana had to smile. “You’re right.”

They walked all morning, Diana still enjoying those bright eyes.

Very bright.

 _Too_ bright.

She stopped and said, “Steve.”

“Yes?”

“I want to feel your forehead.”

“Why?”

“I want to check for fever.”

“Oh, I don’t have a fever, Angel...”

Her hand was on his brow and he stumbled back, panic fluttering in his chest.

“You’re burning up!”

He licked dry lips. “I…I feel a little hot, but I’m still able to walk.”

She bit her lip. “Steve, we have no medicines with us, not even a first aid kit. I…”

“It’s all right, Angel.” He smiled, albeit shakily. “It’s not really surprising that I’d get an infection, would it? We’ve been eating strange things and are on a strange planet. I don’t have immunity built up. Once we get to Tara I’ll be fine.” He scooped up a handful of dirt as they resumed walking. “See all this red soil? Just like Tara in _Gone With The Wind.”_ He smiled. “We Irish, or in my case, Irish-Americans, have a love for the land. Rich soil means growing things and prosperity. We won’t have far to go.”

Diana nodded slowly. 

When they stopped for lunch, Steve gratefully entered the water. He wanted to not just wash off the grime, but to cool off.

He swam and Diana joined him. It was his turn to make lunch and he would do so as soon as he made a few laps around the area.

He had a headache but didn’t mention it. They had no aspirin so he had to tough it out.

He just wished he wasn’t burning from the inside out.

“Hey, Angel, keep swimming. It won’t take me long to make lunch.”

She nodded and he swam back.

Neither noticed the thin trail of blood in the water.

& & & & & &

Diana wiped him down with a cloth, Steve trying not to tense at her touch. The reaction barely registered with him as he felt chills run through his body, then waves of heat as a thin sheen of sweat formed on his skin.

He wanted to wash it off. 

“Try and rest, Steve,” Diana said softly. They had stopped for the night.

“I’ll try, Angel.” He felt sluggish, his head aching and his body hurting in so many places…

Fitfully, he fell asleep.

& & & & & &

_He was being smothered, weight pressing on him as he coughed and gagged, bitterness trickling down his throat and nails raking down his back, his fingers clawing at the dirt, trying to breath, trying to block out the mocking laughter as the voice in his ear purred, “Ready for the next one, my pretty?”_

_He screamed at the final push of white-hot pain…_

& & & & & &

Throat raw, he screamed and screamed again, strong hands grabbing his shoulders. In a blind panic he shoved the hands away and staggered to his feet, running toward the water…

& & & & & &

As they settled for the night, Diana tried to sleep, but Steve’s restlessness kept her awake. She heard moans escape his lips and felt sick.

His eyes had been cloudy with fever by the end of the day.

She could only imagine what must be going on in his fevered mind.

She turned and her body jolted as Steve screamed.

The screams tore out of him in a terrified tumble and he sat upright, eyes wide with terror as his body shook. Unthinkingly she grabbed his shoulders and he pushed her away, running toward the river, grabbing a cloth from the pile atop the saddlebag. 

He splashed into the river, tearing off his nightwear, standing knee-deep, scrubbing hard, scrubbing harshly, scrubbing his arms and chest and shoulders and stomach and thighs until he nearly bled…

Diana rushed into the water, terror clutching her heart. He started to keen, sobbing, “I have to get clean, I’m _dirty_ , they…they…I’m _filthy_ , Angel, I can’t…no, _don’t touch me!”_ He jerked away from her hand. “I’m tainted! My beautiful Angel, so _good_ , so…you can’t want me, with this _filth_ clinging to me…!”

His voice rose to hysterical pain, and he suddenly dropped to his knees, face contorted in pain, a howl of agony tearing away at Diana’s heart and tears running down both their faces as his head bowed, her arms gently going around him and he grabbed them, shaking but holding on this time for dear life as the storm swirled around them like the river’s endless current…


	7. Broken Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana and Steve struggle with his knowledge of the attack.

  
_In pieces,_   
_Jagged,_   
_In pain,_   
_Ragged._

_Delicate yet strong,_   
_No mere token,_   
_Beauty rare,_   
_Stained-glass broken. ___  


  


**Emily Adams Cutler**   
**“Yellow Roses And Other Poems”**   
**1859 C.E.**

Steve huddled against the rock, his arms around his midsection as he rocked back-and-forth. Diana knelt beside him, aching to touch him but keeping her hands on her knees.

“Beloved…” she said softly.

Her heart was pierced as Steve looked up, anguish in his eyes. 

She was looking into the eyes of a tortured soul.

“How can you call me that?” he whispered.

“Because it’s true.” She watched the play of moonlight on his face and hair. “You always will be, Steve. From the first moment I laid eyes upon you.”

He took a shuddering breath. “You didn’t…see…”

“No.” She leaned forward slightly. “I took care of your attackers, as you took care of me when I was drugged. It is always that way between us.”

He stared at her for a moment more, then slowly nodded. Heartened, Diana said, “Lie back and rest. Dawn will be in a few hours.” She saw how bright his eyes were and knew the fever was still running. What little luck they had was in the fact that it appeared to be a low-grade fever, at least for now.

Steve moved and grimaced. “I…feel…all broken inside…like glass…all jagged…”

“I know.” She moved to sit next to him, stretching out on the blankets they used at night, pulling the other blankets over her and handing him the other. 

He took it and stretched out beside her, keeping six inches between them but staying close. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s not your fault.” _Someday you will be able to touch me again, and allow me to touch you._ “Rest, Beloved. We need our strength.”

He settled down with a sigh.

& & & & & &

The next day was subdued but Steve didn’t avoid her eyes as she feared he might, though he was clearly jittery. Diana was grateful that there had been no further nightmares, but she doubted that he had fallen asleep for the remainder of the night.

Around noon they started walking by forests closing in both sides of the road instead of the endless rocky terrain.

While Diana kept her senses tuned to their surroundings for security, she also kept her attention on her companion. Steve was pushing himself to keep up, but his eyes were haunted, his fingers white-knuckled on the saddlebag he carried.

They had spoken little all day, Diana worrying over his fever and now what the knowledge of the rape would do to him. 

By early afternoon they came upon a grove of fruit trees. Delighted, they went up to a tree and plucked one of the offerings.

“It looks like an apple.” Diana sniffed it, then licked the reddish-yellow skin. She bit into it and the sweet/tart flavor was delicious. She offered the apple to Steve, whose small smile was tinged with amusement at the image but he took it and bit into it.

“Mmm. Good.” He laughed a little. “I guess it could have been Eve and Steve in the Garden of Eden, eh? Quite a twist for the fundies who always claim that’s it’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.”

Diana joined in his laughter, glad to see that he could make a joke.

They picked several apples and divided them between the saddlebag and rucksuck. 

The sun touched Steve’s hair and Diana wanted to kiss him, but carefully directed her attention to the rucksack.

& & & & & &

They rested during the hottest part of the afternoon, Steve’s legs pulled up and his head bowed on top of his arms as they rested on his knees. Diana sat close by, not looking at him but every sense tuned to him.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Angel.”

She looked at him immediately. “For what, Beloved?”

He didn’t look at her. “For not being strong enough.”

She felt the shame radiate off him in waves and instinctively reached out to grasp his arm but pulled back.

“Steve, please look at me.”

He obeyed, the shame shadowing his eyes.

“Steve, it wasn’t your fault.” She leaned forward, earnestness in every ounce of her body. “You were attacked by several G’darrans, far bigger and stronger than you.”

His voice shook slightly. “I should have tried harder to…to fight them off.”

Diana’s heart ached for him. Only extreme willpower kept her from touching him, knowing that it would hurt him. 

“Steve, you and I are warriors.” She curled her hand into a fist and held it close to her heart. “We fight, and sometimes the odds are against us. You fought to keep me safe when I was drugged and vulnerable. You won that fight for me but lost your own fight, and that deeply grieves me, Beloved, but it doesn’t make me love you less.”

Tears misted her vision and she saw the suffering in his face as he asked softly, “Angel, will you always…love me?”

“Always, Beloved.”

He looked at her, then shuddered and closed his eyes, bowing his head again as he whispered, “Better it was me than you.”

The tears spilled down her face as her hand touched his hair. He tensed for a moment, then allowed her touch to remain as he wept quietly.

& & & & & &

When they settled for the night, Diana curled up on her blankets, tossing one over herself. The sound of the river was soothing and one she and Steve were accustomed to by now. 

Diana began to fall asleep, then came fully awake as she felt a strong arm slide around her ribs, a hand resting on her stomach. The arm was trembling slightly, followed by the length of Steve’s body as he just barely touched her in a spooning motion. She smiled in the dark, relaxing against him and falling asleep.

& & & & & &

_Wonder Woman nodded to her partner, Steve covering her with his Toronian rifle. She leaped forward, shouting, “Hola!” as she slammed into a knot of G’darran soldiers, scattering them as she punched and kicked, her golden lasso spiraling out and capturing the leader. She dragged him to stand inches from her, his sneer contorting his face._

_“Woman, release me!” he thundered._

_Diana smiled. “I don’t think so, G’darran. I don’t take orders from invaders. You should leave these peaceful people alone.”_

_The leader of the squad spat on the ground close to her boots. “Female swine! What do you know of the manly art of war?”_

_Wonder Woman’s smile grew. “My people invented it.”_

_She reached back and then let loose with a punch, the G’darran crumpling to the ground. As she removed the lasso, Steve came up to her._

_“Invented it, eh?”_

_“Well, it sounded good.”_

_He laughed and Diana winked, and then they were back in the thick of battle, smoke rising and the acrid smell of energy discharge lingering over the battlefield._

_A screech alerted Diana to the diving presence of a **m’kattra** and she and Steve aimed as one, energy bolts blasting the winged creature out of the air and to the ground. _

_“Good work!”_

_They ran forward, fighting their way through dozens of the enemy, and then the tide turned, the G’darrans pushing forward and numbers starting to overwhelm. Wonder Woman kept up a continual fight as Steve fought beside her, then she gasped as her bracelets were tied together and her strength left her, Steve falling under a mass of soldiers._

_The world tilted crazily and the sun disappeared behind the smoke and clouds, Steve yelling, “Get **off** me!” and the victory shouts turning to laughter as the soldiers tore Steve’s clothes and hands pinned his arms over his head, running their hands over his body as he kicked out, a fist punching/dazing him and then they turned him over…_

_“Angel!” he cried, panic in his voice._

& & & & & &

“Angel!”

Diana woke gasping, trying to take in lungfuls of air as Steve’s arms banded around her. 

“It’s okay, Angel, you’re fine, everything’s all right…”

Diana slowly came back from the nightmare, holding Steve’s arm that held her, looking up into his worried eyes.

“I…”

“Bad nightmare, eh?”

She nodded.

“That’s okay. Had a few myself lately.”

Diana looked at his shadowed eyes and slightly-wry smile and hugged him. He didn’t stiffen or pull away and she clung to him like a lifeline. He gently stroked her hair.

Wordlessly they curled up on the blankets, Steve holding her tightly and she holding on just as hard.


	8. Molten Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Steve’s fever rises, he and Diana find themselves as prey once again.

  
_Burning_   
_From the_   
_Inside out,_   
_Burning_   
_With crippling_   
_Doubt._

_Yet our love_   
_Can lure_   
_The best of us._   
_We endure._   


**Allison Reed**   
**“Star-Bright Lovers**   
**And Other Poems”**   
**2002 C.E.**

They were in trouble.

Steve had insisted upon cooking breakfast, then he trotted beside her as they walked down the road, pausing to pick fresh fruit off the apple trees.

The first time Steve stumbled, she caught him and he smiled at her gratefully.

The second time, he apologized profusely.

The third time, he bent over as he knelt on the hard ground, arms trembling as he tried to hold himself up.

Diana knelt beside him and gently lifted his chin, brushing the hair out of his eyes.

His skin was no longer just hot.

It was _burning_ -hot. 

“I’m…sorry…Angel.”

“It is all right.” Diana brushed her lips across his brow, grateful that he did not flinch. “The fever is too high and is sapping your strength. You do not object to me carrying you?”

He looked at her with wry suffering. “Have I ever objected to you carrying me when it was necessary?”

Her smile was gentle. “No. One of the many reasons why I love you.”

He laughed a little and struggled to his feet with Diana’s help. The saddlebag and weapons were transferred to her and she put her hands in position.

“You’re not at full strength yourself. Are you sure…?”

She nodded. “I cannot ride the wind currents and forget speed, but I can lift and carry. And you are not exactly a heavy weight, my darling.”

He smiled but grasped her shoulder. “The dizziness?”

Diana looked at him with steady eyes. “If I feel a dizzy spell coming on, I will stop immediately and put you down.”

He nodded slowly and allowed her to lift him up. He sighed as his head rested against her shoulder, fevered skin touching hers, heat radiating even through the white silk.

“I shall get you home, Beloved,” Diana murmured.

He looked at her. “As I will you, Angel.”

She nodded.

& & & & & &

Diana rested more than once, Steve falling into an exhausted sleep. He mumbled in his fevered sleep, but rarely moved and roused enough to drink water during the rest breaks.

As she walked, keeping her senses alert for any signs of the enemy, she reflected back on her nightmare.

The memory of the battle in which they had been captured was vivid, especially since her memories after that were hazy due to the drug, and then the shock of coming back to the world and to Steve’s pain.

She looked down at him and felt an aching tenderness. He carried around a fighter pilot’s cockiness but was far more low-key than men of that profession. He loved being her partner, but never minded staying in the background.

It had been her experience since arriving in Man’s World that there was no shortage of male arrogance and shortsightedness. While women were not free of such shortcomings, the male gender had more than an abundance of foolishness.

Steve was not perfect. Neither was she. They both had to work on their shortcomings, but Diana was certain that she had one of the best men as a partner. She worked with exceptional men in the Justice League and her personal partner was a man to be treasured.

She did not want to lose him.

Diana sighed and wished that she had an army of Amazons with her. A handful of her sisters could defeat the G’darrans and she could get Steve to safety.

She could _not_ lose him.

Diana stopped as she heard a sound. Quickly she looked up and saw the unmistakable shape of a m’kattra winging its way from miles away.

Its hawk-like eyes would see her and Steve immediately.

She ran into the forest, going deep inside and hoping that the creature would bypass them.

_No such luck._

She heard the bird’s cry as it searched for prey, giant wings flapping and creating a breeze that swept into the forest. 

Diana gently put Steve down and he roused, eyes fever-bright as he whispered, “What?”

She put a finger to her lips and he followed it as she pointed upward. He heard the shriek and shivered slightly, then looked back at her, gesturing for his blaster. Diana hesitated but then gave it to him.

The shadows of the thickly-canopied forest hid them from sight, but Diana knew the _m’kattra_ had excellent hearing and sense of smell. If it caught any scent or heard a single movement, it would attack.

Diana and Steve looked up and saw the tree cover shake as the _m’kattra_ flew over. Diana was in battle stance and Steve clutched his blaster tightly. They didn’t move a muscle.

Quiet descended on the forest as the birds and small animals hunkered down or had already fled.

Minutes ticked by but they heard no more cries and the leaves were still. Finally they lowered their blasters.

Diana whispered, “That was close…”

A loud crash sounded as the leaves overhead exploded, a large body descending as the great wings tore off branches and more leaves. Claws reached out and Diana and Steve aimed for its underbelly, Diana’s previous experience with the beasts coming in handy.

Wonder Woman snatched up her sword as the beast swiped a wing at her and Steve, howling in pain at the close energy blasts. The _m’kattra_ staggered back, then reared up and started to bring its great beak down when Diana hurled her sword at its heart.

The death throes were terrible to see, Diana and Steve scrambling to get away, Diana holding her companion up as they ran, Steve running on pure adrenaline.

The _m’kattra_ screamed its final rage and crashed to the forest floor, the earth trembling beneath their feet as its prospective prey stopped and leaned against a huge tree trunk, gasping for breath.

Diana irksomely noted her respiratory distress, cursing the drug that was still in her system to some extent, and she breathed out, “Are you all right?”

Steve nodded, also trying to catch his breath. His eyes were nearly incandescent as he gasped, “Wow…we got lucky there…those things are pretty…nasty…!”

She nodded, then suddenly put a finger to his mouth. He heard the voices, too.

“Let’s see what the beast killed. Maybe it’s fresh meat!”

“Must be somethin’ good…oh, hell!”

“It’s dead!”

The G’darran voices were close. Diana could feel Steve tremble next to her, his eyes shadowed.

“Get the boys. Let’s roll this thing over and see what’s underneath.”

The sword! They would see her sword! Diana looked at Steve who realized the same thing in the same second. Clamping down on his fear, he whispered, “We have to get further away!”

She nodded and they took off, wincing at the sound of the crunching leaves. 

The sound of crashing brush behind them spurred them on further. Steve was running on pure adrenaline, fear driving him forward as he tightly clutched Diana’s hand.

She spotted a huge hollow tree. “There!” she hissed, and she grabbed some brush and followed Steve inside. She covered up the entrance with the thorny brush and they sat together, listening to the sounds of heavy feet smashing through the leaves.

“They gotta be around here somewhere!” The soldier’s voice was close to the tree. Steve’s grip tightened on Diana’s hand, his breathing harsh in the darkness. 

“So somebody killed a stinkin’ _m’kattra_. Let’s go!”

Diana knew she could take them, Steve at her back, but unless she slit their throats, they would revive and hunt them down.

She did not like to kill except when necessary in battle. She had not even killed Steve’s… 

“That sword was one of ours. Why didn’t the guy stay? Why’d he run?”

“Who the hell knows? C’mon, if we don’t get back, Gavin will have our heads!”

Grumbling, the G’darran turned and left.

After several minutes of silence, Diana peeked out.

“Safe,” she breathed, then she saw Steve smiling as she pushed away the brush. “What?”

“I never thought I’d be like the Keebler Elves and wind up in a tree!”

Diana laughed in sheer relief. “What kind of cookies are we making in here, sir?”

“Something dark and chocolate-y and filled with creamy goodness.”

“Mmm.”

She was amazed at her lover’s resiliency. She knew how terrified he had been as the G’darrans had come closer, and after seeing what had been done to him in that clearing, she could not blame him.

_Do not worry, Steve, I will protect you. They will not touch you **ever again** , by Hera!_

Her thoughts were fierce, just like her vow.

She helped him out of the tree and he straightened up. 

Suddenly his eyes rolled up in his head and he pitched forward.

“Steve!” 

Diana caught him before he fell to the ground.


	9. Stained Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fever burns through Steve with a vengeance.

  
_Prisms of light_  
 _Beautiful,_  
 _Rainbow’d._

_Stained glass_  
 _Shattered,_  
 _Sparkling shards_  
 _Scattered._

_Ruby light,_  
 _Ruby glass,_  
 _Sliced_  
 _To ribbons._  


  


**Emily Adams Cutler**   
**“Yellow Roses And Other Poems”**   
**1859 C.E.**

Diana wiped Steve’s face with the damp cloth, trying to bring down his temperature but she knew it was a losing battle. His fever was raging and he moved restlessly on the blankets laid out on the riverbank, twilight falling as Diana touched his brow.

Tears filled her eyes as she knew that time was running out. The psychological and physical trauma of the rape was slowly burning her Beloved from the inside out. 

She had tried riding the wind currents again but was still grounded. Tomorrow she would have to walk again while carrying Steve but it was a small price to pay if she could get him help.

Worriedly she curled up around him as he shivered.

& & & & & &

_Diana lay sprawled on the ground in her **chiton,** bracelets chained together, Galt looming over here. He nudged her thigh with his boot and yanked her up by her hair. Her head lolled and he slapped her hard._

_“Wake up, whore! Your true duty must be fulfilled!”_

_Laughter and drunken cursing, then Steve ran into the clearing, sword high. “Angel!” he screamed, and shoved Galt away from her before his men could grab him. The G’darran roared and struck with his own sword, Steve gritting his teeth as he parried the thrust. With relief he saw Diana open her eyes and rise to her feet._

_The chiton he wore gave him freedom of movement, and he fought hard. He winced as he was slammed back against a boulder, his sword flying out of his hand. Galt grinned and slid his tongue along his captive’s jaw, Steve’s kick just missing his groin. Galt grabbed a fistful of hair and smashed his head into the stone._

_Nausea welled up in Steve as Galt’s tongue slipped into his mouth, pressing his body close._

_When Galt removed his tongue Steve choked and gasped, his limbs aching but his eyes blazed and he pushed back hard._

_“Pretty Yellow Hair,” Galt crooned. He suddenly whispered in Steve’s ear, “You let your woman lead you around. You deserve to service us until you get some balls.”_

_Steve snarled and suddenly felt himself falling, falling, falling, with a great weight on top of him and panic squeezed his chest like a vise as he tried to push the weight away…!_

& & & & & &

_The ocean gently lulled him to near-sleep. He struggled to stay awake. If he had a concussion, he would slip away into a coma. He heard a seagull cry and thought he heard voices drifting out across the sea._

_The wing of his plane was warm beneath him, silver in the sun…_

& & & & & &

_When he opened his eyes, he saw an Angel…_

& & & & & &

_They danced beneath the lights of the chandeliers, the ballroom glittering with crystal and gold. His Angel was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he had eyes for no one but her. She wore a white gown and diamond necklace, the one he had gifted her with on their first Valentine’s Day._

_She leaned forward and kissed him…_

& & & & & &

_Steve laughed as he ran down the beach, chasing his Angel. She could easily outrun him as a gazelle could outrun the wind, but she kept close enough to give him the chance to catch her._

_He did, and they fell to the water, the ocean sparkling and bright this summer’s day. She laughed and the waves crashed over them, leaving them wet and wanton…_

& & & & & &

_Leaves crunched beneath their boots as they walked hand-in-hand, scarlet and gold and orange swirling around them as the crisp air filled their lungs. She wore jeans and a red sweater and they didn’t speak but were comfortable with each other, his fingers touching his Medal, her gift to him on their first Valentine’s Day, as they kicked at the leaves, exchanging smiles…_

& & & & & &

_The church was filled with family and friends, the sun shining through the stained-glass windows and creating rainbows on the marble walls and floor, the organist beginning to play the Wedding March. He was wearing his uniform, but it was white with shining gold buttons. He smiled at Hal, his best man, and turned to face the back of the church._

_His Angel was in white, her golden tiara anchoring a veil of filmy tulle as her hands held her bouquet, her Amazon bracelets sparkling silver. She wore the diamond necklace and it sparkled rainbow prisms from the light streaming in through the stained-glass windows. He watched her progress and as she reached out her hand to take his, the world exploded._

_The stained-glass windows shattered and he covered her body with his own, falling to the diamond-patterned floor with a thud. He struggled to breathe, a great weight upon him, and he felt the pain crawl up his spine. Shards of broken stained glass were scattered, glass stained with blood. He looked up, struggling to his knees, and his Angel was standing before him, her white dress streaked with scarlet._

_“Angel…” His voice shook and he reached out. “I’m sorry.”_

_“No need, Beloved.”_

_“I failed you.”_

_She shook her head. “This blood is not mine.”_

_He felt the burning and looked down, his white pants soaked in blood. Scarlet pooled out on the floor and stained more glass._

_“Please, no more,” he whispered._

_She reached down and touched his face, then the Medal at his throat._

_A red mist began to cloud his vision, and the church and all his loved ones began to disappear behind it. He reached out desperately and grabbed her hand._

_“Angel, will you always…love me?”_

_“Always, Beloved.”_

_His strength was fading as he began to slip away but he held on to her hand as tightly as he could._

_“As I will you, my Angel.”_

_The fragments of stained glass shimmered and melted as blood ran down in rivulets on the pale marble floor…_

& & & & & &

Tears streamed down Diana’s face as she held her lover, then his eyes opened and he grabbed her hand.

“Angel, will you always…love me?”

“Always, Beloved.”

He seemed at peace with that answer, and smiled slightly. 

“As I will you, my Angel.”

His eyes closed and she cried out, “No! Hera help me! Aphrodite! Athena!”

Her hand rested on blood-soaked silk as the morning sun rose, touching Steve’s hair and turning it to brighter gold. 

A shadow fell across the sun. Diana looked up and her tear-blurred eyes widened.


	10. Sun's Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana waits for Steve to return to her.

  
_Comes the sun,_  
 _Warm and gold,_  
 _Chasing away_  
 _The empty cold._

_Here is peace_  
 _No pain,_  
 _No sorrow._  
 _Should I stay_  
 _Or face_  
 _Tomorrow?_

  


**Emily Adams Cutler**  
 **“Yellow Roses And Other Poems”**  
 **1859 C.E.**

“I’m sorry it took so long, Diana. The signal was so faint that it was difficult to trace…”

Diana touched Clark’s hand. “It is all right, Clark. The important thing is that you found us.”

He nodded. They were sitting in the small waiting room in the Watchtower. J’onn was operating on Steve. Usually Diana assisted but she was far too close to this situation. Dinah was helping this time.

Bruce was sitting on the other side of Diana, silent but close. Suddenly he spoke.

“You should get checked out, you know. That drug…”

Diana shook her head. “Not until after the operation.”

Bruce fell silent again in understanding.

Clark gripped her hand and asked, “Did the Toronians really think they could get away with kidnapping the two of you?”

“It worked for the first few battles,” Diana said with a sigh. She looped and un-looped her golden lasso. “Thank you for getting this back for me, Clark.”

He nodded. “I think that the Bat scared them into realizing they’d done a bad thing.” He smiled as Diana laughed a little, Bruce’s mouth quirking under his cowl.

Clark squeezed her hand. “Please eat something, Princess.”

She shook her head.

“You should at least drink something.”

“Ginger ale would help settle my stomach.”

Clark nodded and left to get the drink.

Diana sat with Bruce, glad of his silence. Her whole being was focused on the operating room and J’onn and Dinah’s medical skills. She thought of how much blood Steve had lost, how much pain he had suffered and would continue to suffer if he survived this surgery…

Bruce’s hand slid over hers and she calmed.

His lover returned with the drink and she sipped gratefully, her mouth dry. She prayed silently to the Goddesses, trying to achieve a measure of serenity.

She had left her Warrior self behind on the accursed planet and now desperately needed to be calm. 

_Beloved, stay with me. I will always love you. You are my heart, my soul._

Hal suddenly appeared, going straight to her.

“How is he?”

Clark gave the details and Hal paled. He took off his mask and knelt before Diana. “He’s strong, Princess. I trained with him and he was one of the best pilots in the bunch. He’s a survivor, as you learned when he crashed off the Island.”

Diana nodded. Hal patted her hand and sat next to Clark. 

Time slipped away, then suddenly the doors to the medical center opened and J’onn and Dinah walked out.

Diana stood, heart pounding, gripping both Bruce and Clark’s hands, Hal’s hand on her shoulder.

“He survived.”

Relief cascaded through her.

“He lost a lot of blood, Princess. He’s very weak.” J’onn’s voice was sympathetic. “He’s still not ‘out-of-the-woods’, as they say.” Diana nodded. She squeezed her friends’ hands and J’onn continued, “That head injury has complicated things. We’ll have to keep a close watch on him.”

“Thank you, J’onn.” She followed Dinah into the medical center.

Steve lay, attached to machines, and his Medal winked in the starlight from outside the Watchtower windows.

Diana reached out a trembling hand and touched sun-bright hair.

& & & & & &

Diana remained at her Beloved’s side, the hours turning to days, falling into a routine. She was on a leave of absence from active duty with the JLA but remained here at the Tower, speaking softly as she held Steve’s hand.

The damage had been extensive but J’onn’s considerable skills had repaired it, and now it was up to Steve to come back from a deep twilight of the soul.

The knowledge that he might never want to come back to the pain that awaited him was unspoken.

When she did take a break to stretch her legs, she wandered down the hall, sometimes with a coffee cup in hand, pausing outside the meeting room while the routine business of the League was conducted, her ears always attuned to the Intensive Care area. A cot had been brought into Steve’s room because she refused to leave him to sleep anywhere else.

It reminded her of the first days that she had known him, waiting and praying that he would wake up, the sun-blond Warrior from the sky who had fallen to earth and into her life. She had been enthralled with his beauty, feeling irresistibly drawn to him while she waited for him to awaken.

And when he did, his look of adoration and love as he spoke the word, “Angel” had won her heart.

Her fingers curled around the cup tightly. She had not seen the attack itself but she could guess how it had unfurled. The evidence on his body had been quite explicit, and she had no doubt that his mind had been bruised and bloodied as well. 

_If only I could have saved him…!_

Her breath ended in a half-sob and she turned away from the meeting room to head back to the medical center.

& & & & & &

_Steve walked along the beach, watching the sparkling waves and tilting his face up to the sun. He felt strong and healthy, clad in white and wearing golden Amazon bracelets. He touched the Medal of Athena at his throat and felt at peace._

_He swam and drifted, but through his serenity, he felt an unease skittering along the edges of his mind._

_**“Beloved.”** _

_He heard the warm, loving voice one moment, the wind the next. He heard the voice more than once._

_**I should go back.** _

_** If you go back, you will know pain. And not just pain of the body. ** _

_He drifted on the sea, just like the day his plane had crashed off Paradise Island._

_And his Angel rescued him._

_** She can’t love a man who allowed himself to be hurt that way. ****** _

_******She can. She does.** ** ** _

_****** Here you can be at peace. ** ** ** _

_Steve closed his eyes._

& & & & & &

Dinah entered the room quietly. “Diana?”

Diana looked up. Weariness etched her beautiful features. “Yes, Dinah?”

“Bruce, Hal, and Ollie are ready to give blood again.”

Diana nodded. “Thank them for me, will you? It was very generous to give Steve their blood for the operation and to give again in case he needs it.”

“Well, they match, and we should stock up on that type.” Dinah did not say that they had gone through quite a bit of Steve’s blood type during the operation. 

Diana looked sad as she rested her hand on Steve’s arm.

“Please come with me to the cafeteria.”

“I cannot…”

“You need to eat something. Please. Hal is coming to sit with Steve.”

Diana reluctantly left Steve’s side, but she was feeling weak and needed food.

The cafeteria was empty for which Diana was grateful. She did not want to answer a bunch of questions right now.

They took their trays of food over to their favorite corner table and Dinah said, “Your mother left a message. She’s praying for Steve’s recovery.”

“That is good, since she disapproves of him so strongly.”

Dinah appeared shocked at the bitter tone but said, “I think whether or not she approves, she doesn’t want to see him hurt.”

Diana sighed. “I know. I am sorry.”

“I understand.”

Diana pushed her food around her plate. “He has been at my side since I met him. He takes…what is the word…’flack’ for it. The men of your world cannot understand why he would feel comfortable around a woman far superior to him in strength, but he trusts me.” She laughed a little. “He said that when he was falling out of the sky or off a building, he really did not care if the person saving him was male or female.” Her smile faded as she set her fork down blinking back tears. “He was hurt very badly, Dinah.”

Dinah put a hand on her arm. “I know.” Diana looked up. Of course Dinah knew the truth. She had been the nurse during the operation. “He’s strong, Diana.” She smiled affectionately. “Even with that pretty face, he’s got steel underneath.”

Diana wiped her eyes and laughed. “I suppose that makes me shallow, loving a man with such beautiful looks?”

“Makes you human, I suspect.” Dinah grinned. “It’s the blond hair, you know.”

“What?”

“The blond hair.” Dinah’s eyes sparkled. “Our blond boys do all right for themselves in the pretty department.” She squeezed Diana’s hand and winked. “Never hurts to appreciate beauty.” 

Diana looked at her old friend and Dinah gathered her into a hug.

& & & & & &

The women returned to the medical center and Hal was saying, “Now, Stevie, remember that time we had to bail out over the desert? What a piece of junk that test plane was! Pretty on the outside but nothing on the inside.” His voice grew quiet. “Good description of you, except that you have a lot on the inside.” His hand rested lightly on his friend’s hand and he didn’t remove it when Diana entered. He stood up when she came to the bedside and hugged her.

“Stay,” she whispered, and he nodded.

Dinah checked Steve’s vitals, then left to give them privacy.

Hal brought over another chair and sat next to Diana. They sat in a silence that wasn’t uncomfortable. 

Diana understood the past that Steve and Hal shared. She had enjoyed her share of lovers before leaving the Island, and considering her own same-sex experiences, there was no shock at Steve’s first lover. Hal Jordan was a good man and a genuine hero. He was worthy of her Beloved.

“He wants to do the right thing by you.” She looked at Hal quizzically. “He doesn’t want to insult you even inadvertently. He’s sensitive to what men must seem like to you sometimes in this world, considering your Amazon history.”

“He does not insult me.” She took Hal’s hand and squeezed it. “Or disappoint me.”

They kept their vigil, and Hal spoke lightly of good times during training and their hard work in becoming the best test and fighter pilots in the U.S. Air Force.

Diana listened and watched as the sun’s rays brought in golden light…

& & & & & &

_Steve drifted on the sea, enjoying serenity, and then he heard a new voice._

_**“Stevie, we’re waiting for you to come back.”** _

_A warm voice, and one he knew well._

_He closed his eyes and kept drifting, the sun warm on his face._

_He was calm, but felt lonely._

_He wasn’t ready for this place._

_**“Please, Beloved, come back to us.”** _

_Not yet._

_He touched his Medal and the sun grew even brighter…_

& & & & & &

Steve opened his eyes.

A gasp of breath, two anxious faces coming into view…

“Not ready…to leave…yet…”

Diana gently kissed him and Hal squeezed his hand as the Watchtower welcomed Earth’s sunlight to begin a new day.


End file.
